UNHCR lauds His Highness the Amir's humanitarian role

(With DIWAN-KUWAIT-AMIR-GRANDI) KUWAIT, May 1 (KUNA) -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said Sunday the State of Kuwait, under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, offers great support to relief effort for refugees and needy people around the world.
For long years His Highness the Amir continues his commitment as humanitarian leader, a title he deservedly won from the United Nations, Grandi said, citing His Highness the Amir's humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees.
The head of the UN Refugee Agency made the comments at a joint press conference with Director General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Abdulwahab Al-Bader after signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two aid agencies.
Grandi said he had the honor of meeting His Highness the Amir earlier today at Bayan Palace where he thanked His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad for backing up the relief efforts led by the UN Refugee Agency.
The audience was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
Grandi noted that he selected Kuwait as the first destination in his tour of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states due to the country's leading role in humanitarian issues as well as the strategic partnership between the UN agencies, particularly the refugee agency, and the State of Kuwait.
He highlighted the pivotal role of this partnership given the fact that the refugee agency works to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable people in conflict-hit areas.
The Agency offers protection and assistance to nearly 70 million refugees, asylum seekers and internally-displaced people, and tries to find durable solutions for many of them, he pointed out.
Unless such solutions are found, the humanitarian disaster, particularly in Syria, will further worsen, he warned, citing the misery of the residents of Aleppo city, north Syria, in the recent weeks.
Grandi extolled Kuwait for hosting three international humanitarian pledging conferences for Syria, noting that he will attend a conference in Kuwait tomorrow to discuss the commitment of the donors to the aid pledges made in the fourth "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference in London in February this year.
He also spoke highly of Kuwait for hosting the intra-Yemeni peace talks, adding that the Refugee Agency's aid workers are trying desperately to reach the millions of Yemenis trapped in the conflict but to no avail due to the raging fighting.
He added that, besides the Syrian and Yemeni crises, he discussed with the Kuwaiti leaders the suffering of internally-displaced people in Iraq which is exacerbating under the prolonged political conflicts.
On the MoU with KFAED, he said it opens a bright page in the history of the cooperation between Kuwait and the UN Refugee Agency, and lays firm ground for launching more promising joint aid projects.
Meanwhile, Al-Bader said the document signed today will enable both agencies to scale up aid for the needy people in conflict-hit areas.
KFAED's Director General appreciated as "honorable" the leading role of UNHCR in humanitarian action over the last 60 years around the globe.
He added that the Fund has been representing the government of Kuwait in the humanitarian action, besides its principal role in backing up the development projects worldwide.
He voiced hope that the MoU will enable the Refugee Agency take advantage of some of the Fund's resources in launching joint aid projects in several areas. (end) hrz.gb